Affections Across Time
by abstract illusioniste
Summary: On hold for now. -hides-
1. Chapter 1

**My new time travel fanfic! Hope you ppl like it! **

**Affections Across Time **

**Chapter 1: Be Careful What You Wish For...**

Sakura's POV

Sakura lay there in bed, listening to every tock her clock beside her made. She would often do that when she was having trouble falling asleep, like now. Memories, both painful and fond came back to her. She remembered how foolish she was when she was twelve, constantly clinging onto Sasuke and always counting on others to save her. Always crying and panicking on missions, always too weak to stand up for herself, and too foolish to fall in love with an avenger, with no chance of returning her feelings. How she cried when he left, how she counted on Naruto to bring him back...she brushed those memories away. She was stronger now, with him gone. Stronger than before. One of the best kunoichi in the village. The top medic, respected by everyone. She tried to forget about him, oh, Kami-sama knew how she tried! And yet, she still thought about him every day of her life without him.

She sometimes asked herself why she fell in love with him. That bastard that betrayed her and the village for a snake pedophile. Of course, the first day she saw him, she merely had a small school-girl crush, blinded by his good looks. But she realized her true feelings to him. She even admitted to him. But...he pushed her away...

Sakura wished that she can erase everything that happened to her in the past. She wished that she can relive it...to make it better...to get rid of the blemishes of her scarred heart...

Sakura fell into an uneasy sleep.

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Part 1: The Portals Through Time

_She found herself lying down on the floor. The floor was unusually soft and warm as a bed, contrary to the slippery and smooth look it had. Sakura rubbed her eyes, and got up. She peered at her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of temple. Sliver brocaded silk hangings and gold treasures inlaid with precious jewels glimmered in her eyes. Three oaken doors at the left side of the room had mysterious symbols that Sakura couldn't read carved into the wood. She noticed a golden throne right in the middle of the room, occupied by a beautiful woman in rich clothing. She held a scepter that had had engravings of Japanese kanji that formed the word "Time" which was written a thousand times. The woman looked down at Sakura with a half-smile on her pretty face. Sakura just stared at her._

"_Welcome, my dear." The woman said in a musical voice._

"_Where am I?"_

"_You are in the Temple of K__ikan__ that holds the three portals of time: Past, Present, and Future."_

"_Um, who are you?" Sakura asked meekly._

"_I am the Time Goddess, _**_J_****_ikoku_**_." She answered. "I control time in the world of humans. I am letting you choose one portal to go through. You may change it to your liking, but be warned-you can never change it again. You can choose to relive your life, and stay there, or go back to the present. Do you accept the offer?"_

"_Wait-" Sakura paused. "Are you saying that I can change my past or any one of those to my liking?"_

"_Yes, it depends on what your actions are. You can make it better, but you can also..." Her face went stern. "...make it worse than before."_

"_Why are you giving me this chance out of anyone else?" Sakura asked._

"_Because, my dear, you're the one that wished it the most." Jikoku smiled sadly. "You wanted to change your past. And I decided to help you." She got up from her throne and walked over to Sakura. The closer she got, the more beautiful she seemed to be. The Time Goddess led Sakura to the left side of the temple. They stopped in front of the doors. _

"_So, what will it be?" She asked kindly._

"_Past," Sakura answered._

"_Do you have any questions to ask before you go?"_

"_Yes." Sakura bit her lip. "When I want to get back to my present, what do I do?"_

"_You simply wish it so."_

"_Alright, and what will happen if I do change the past?"_

"_Then your future and present will change," Jikoku replied. _

"_And...what happens if I die in there?" Sakura asked in a whisper._

"_Then you get erased from your future and present." The woman smiled bitterly. Sakura let out a sharp intake of breath. __**Shall I risk it? **_

"_You can go back to your present time if you don't want to," the goddess said, as if reading her thoughts._

"_Thanks, but I'll risk it." Sakura replied. __**I hope I'm making the right choice...**_

"_Then count to three..." the goddess ordered. Sakura began to count._

"_One..." The goddess raised her scepter and began to murmur an incantation._

"_Two..." The first door flung open, and Sakura saw nothing but a hazy mist. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew fiercely from it, sucking Sakura in. _

"_Three!" Sakura was pulled inside the door. _

"_Good luck, Haruno Sakura!" The Time Goddess called over the wind. Sakura was caught in a whirlwind, going faster and faster every second. She saw gold and silver of the ornate temple, and the many colors of the goddess's robe. Then, her world went black, and everything was gone._

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Part 2: Is This a Dream?

"Sakura, wake up!" A feminine voice called, waking the girl instantly.

"Mmm, that was some dream," Sakura muttered as she yawned and stretched. Then, something came into Sakura's mind. _Wait a minute, that's Mother's voice. She died a year ago...so how can this be...? Oh no, is this-?_

She jumped up from her bed to look at the mirror. She slowly stared at her reflection. Long pink hair. Large emerald eyes. Curveless body. Twelve year old Sakura stared back at her.

"Oh. My. God." Her eyes widened. "It wasn't a dream." _That means...I can change my past..._

She went to her closet. She found her old clothes hung up on the rack. She made a face. _I can't believe I wore this when I was twelve. A complete unstylish outfit._

She tsked, wondering what else to wear. She suddenly had an idea.

She ran to her desk and pulled out her sewing kit and scissors. She began to formulate a new design for the outfit. Sakura snapped the two blades together. She started to work her way through the fabric.

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Part 3: The Old Sakura Thrown Away

She looked at herself in the mirror, wearing the outfit she improved. It was no longer a skimpy, red gown. Now, it was a tube top with the hem stopped two inches above her waist, showing a white strip of her flat stomach. She had cut off the skirt part and inverted it into a pleated miniskirt that was mid-thigh. Sakura smiled in satisfaction; it was comfortable enough to train in, and it looked great on her. In fact, it looked hot. She decided that fishnet sleeves and shorts would look great with it. Sakura made a metal note to buy them later after her training.

Sakura studied her reflection, to see if something wasn't right. There was. She grabbed her scissors again, but this time, she began to cut her long pink hair.

_Snip. Snip. Snip._ The locks of pink hair fell on the ground.

"That's better." She swept up the hair on the floor, and threw it in the garbage. Sakura threw her old self away along with it. Now she would change the past to her liking. She would change the, fact that she was weak, she would change the fact that she depended on her teammates to save her, and she would change the fact that Sasuke left Konoha. Sakura glanced at the mirror again. Her wisps of pink hair rested on her shoulders with spunky layers.

Sakura grabbed her bag that held all her weapons inside.

_Time to go train, _she thought as she ran downstairs. She was about to walk to the front door until her mother's voice stopped her.

"Aren't you going to have any breakfast?" Her mother demanded. Sakura whirled around. She almost forgot that her mother didn't die yet. She threw her arms around her mother and hugged her fiercely.

"Sakura-chan..." Mrs. Haruno slowly turned purple from the lack from oxygen. "Need...air..." Sakura let go of her poor mother. Mrs. Haruno looked surprised at her daughter's sudden actions.

"What's gotten into you, honey?" Mrs. Haruno asked, looking concerned. She laid a hand on her daughter's forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No, of course not!" Sakura chirped. "I'll see you later, gotta go for some training!" She pulled on her slinky black boots, and slung open the door.

"I'll be back by seven!" Sakura called as she ran past her house.

"Don't you want some-" Mrs. Haruno was about to ask her if she wanted a bite before she left, but her daughter was already gone. She shook her head.

"When was she so excited about training?" Mrs. Haruno sighed and closed the door. She was now all alone. "That girl is full of surprises."

Mrs. Haruno made her way back to the kitchen, muttering fondly about how her "little girl" changed.

And somewhere in Konoha, Sakura sneezed.

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Part 4: The Training In The Forest

Sakura entered the dark, shady forest. The smell of evergreen and pine mixed with morning dew hit her nose. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, letting the fresh air in her lungs. Sakura walked to the clearing where the kunai target posts were located. She set her bag on the lush viridian grass, and pulled out three kunai from it. She started to throw the kunai at the targets.

Thanks to being Tsunade's apprentice and years of hard training, they all hit the bull's-eyes perfectly.

_If I trained hard enough in the Genin days, I might've stopped Sasuke-kun from ever leaving. _She thought as she pulled off the kunais off the posts and started to practice her aiming again. Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead, to her flushed cheeks, and down her chin. Sakura held the kunai in her gloved hand. _I will kill Orochimaru!_ She flung the weapon and it landed on the bull's-eye with a loud _thwack!_ Sakura panted, and pulled all three off of the wooden posts. She was about to throw them again, until she sensed someone's chakra signature nearby, right behind a rosemary bush a few yards away from her. A very familiar chakra signature...

Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes. Then, without hesitation, she threw the kunai directly at the bush.

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Sasuke's POV

Sasuke strolled down the path, looking for somewhere to train. He looked to his right side, and saw a clearing with target posts in the centre. Perfect.

He sauntered to the area, only to see a person already training there. Sasuke stopped next to a bush, and squinted to see who it was. It was a girl wearing red clothes. She had short pink hair. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. There was only one person in Konoha with pink hair. It was one of his fangirls, Haruno Sakura.

Sasuke stared in surprise. The weapons she threw hit the bull's-eyes with precise aiming. They were never out of place. But if he could remember correctly, Sakura was only brains with no exceptional talent back at the academy.

But now...she had skills that rivaled, or even surpassed his own. Sasuke scrutinized each move she made carefully, noting how her leverage was perfect, and her-

He heard a kunai flying in his direction. Luckily, he moved away in time, avoiding the weapon. Now he was more surprised than ever. _How did she know someone was nearby so fast?_ Sasuke's mind filled with questions. _Is this Sakura?_ Her calm voice cut through his trance.

"You can come out now..." Sakura paused. "Uchiha Sasuke." She added with emphasis.

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Part 5: Encounter With Love From the Past

Normal POV

Sakura heard Sasuke come out of the bushes and into plain view. Her heart made a familiar leap when she saw him. She didn't have that feeling for many years.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was wondering how she knew it was him. Chakra signatures were way past Genin level. It was even hard for Chuunins to master. So how could she...? Was there something she was hiding? Maybe she wasn't a Genin...or a Chuunin...maybe, she was a-

"Well?" Sakura twirled a kunai on her finger. "Are you going to stand there all day or what?"

Sasuke didn't answer her. He was too busy thinking how he could keep these questions inside his head, without him blurting them out. Sasuke suddenly had an idea...a plan to see how much power she had...

"Let's spar," Sasuke said, walking closer. Now he and Sakura were only a few metres apart. He inwardly smirked at her expression. It was priceless.

"What?"

"You heard me," he got into a fighting stance. Sakura smirked. _That's his little plan?_ She decided to play with him.

"If you insist..." And she disappeared. Sasuke looked around him, trying to spot her somewhere. But without the Sharingan, he had no chance of finding her. She was too fast...

Sasuke felt a cold metal blade pressed against his neck. He was pinned down on the forest ground, his body rendered immobile by Sakura. He felt her soft breath on the nape of his neck. Her hair fell on his face when she swooped down next to his ear. Sasuke inhaled her scent. Sakura's hair smelled like the most delicious thing he ever smelled.

"Looks like I win," she whispered inside his ear. He twitched. She smirked in triumph, and let go of him. She jumped away, and landed on her two feet gracefully.

Sasuke stood there dumbly, as if Sakura told him she was the tooth fairy. Sakura noticed beads of blood on his pale neck from the thin cut her kunai made. But he was too shocked to make a move or even to notice he was bleeding. Sakura walked over to him. He merely stared at her.

"Lie down." Sakura said calmly, breaking the silence.

"What?" Sasuke snapped back to reality.

"So I can heal your neck," she replied, pointing at the crimson blood on his neck. Sasuke reluctantly lay down on the grassy floor. Sakura inched near him, and moved her hand towards his neck.

She focused her chakra to the palm of her hand, until it glowed green. She folded his collar down, until his neck was bare. Sakura stopped the bleeding on his neck, and then sealed the cut. During the whole time, Sasuke didn't move a muscle. He was too amazed of what Sakura was capable of.

"You can move now," Sakura said. Sasuke sat up. He touched his neck. The cut was completely healed.

"Well, I have to train some more," she said, walking towards her bag. She stowed the kunais inside. Sakura picked up the bag, and started walking away. Sasuke opened his mouth. His throat felt dry.

"Sakura," he managed to croak out. Sakura turned around, a smile gracing her features.

"Yes?"

"How...?"

"Training," Sakura answered simply. _Just like you told me four years ago...you told me to stop flirting with you and start training to get stronger..._

Without another word, she turned around, and swept away, leaving a confused Sasuke in her wake.

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**How was it? I tried to make the first chappie longer. The next chappie might take long, becuz of school and other fanfics I'm writing. Well, I hope you like this new story!! Read and Review, please!!!!**

**-Chikako**

**The Additional Character**

**Jiroku the Time Goddess- the name "Jiroku" means time, and also, "Kikan" is another word for time as well. Just to let you know. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your reviews ppl! I really wasn't expecting 10 already! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Affections Across Time**

**Chapter 2: A Different Beginning**

**Part 1: The Rest Of The Day**

Sakura's POV

The hours of non-stop training swept by fast. By the time Sakura was finished replanting the trees she ripped out from the ground, the sky was already twilight blue, streaked with pink and gold. It was six-thirty, which meant she had exactly thirty minutes to get out of the forest, go shopping for the fishnet, and to arrive home without getting yelled at by her mother. Of course, that was impossible to avoid, seeing that it took twenty minutes to walk out of the forest, and it took another twenty to walk home. To top if off, she needed to go shopping. Sakura decided not to go shopping. It would just make her mother angrier.

Sakura wiped the sweat on her forehead with a towel. She was wiped out by all the training. She didn't even eat anything the whole day. Her stomach rumbled. It made her think what delicious things her mother would be making...

She glanced at her watch. Seven-fifteen. Sakura was fifteen minutes late. She quietly opened the front door, hoping that Mrs. Haruno wouldn't catch her...

Too late. Her mother was already at the front door, waiting to kill her daughter.

"HARUNO SAKURA, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I WORRIED?" Her mother screeched. Sakura put her fingers in her ears. _Is this woman trying to make me deaf?_

"Mom, you look really good today!" Sakura said in this falsely cheery voice, making a feeble attempt to change the subject.

"Sakura," her mother growled, her hands on her hips. Sakura gulped. This was Mrs. Haruno's before-she-explodes voice.

"Why were you late?" She demanded.

"Well, I-" Sakura didn't even get a chance to explain, because Mrs. Haruno just shot one question after another.

"What are you wearing? Why is it so revealing?" She wrinkled her nose, displeased at her daughter's taste in clothing. "Did you get your hair cut? Why are you all sweaty?" Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off again.

"Did you even eat today?" Mrs. Haruno tsked at Sakura's rumbling stomach. "Are you going to be like this everyday now? I knew being a Genin would-"

"MOM!" Sakura screamed on top of her mother's voice. Mrs. Haruno stopped ranting. She looked quite startled by Sakura's outburst.

"Thank you," Sakura said sweetly. "Now, I will answer your questions one by one..."

She paused. "...After I eat." Mrs. Haruno frowned, but hurried away into the kitchen to feed her hungry daughter.

Sakura smiled. _I'm going to do things my way, staring now. But first..._She took a whiff of her clothing. It smelled like forest and sweat. Sakura frowned. _I better wash my clothes-and take a shower. I reek!_

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**Part 2: The Alternate Introductions**

Sakura entered the classroom, which was buzzing with the graduates from the academy. She looked over to the seat by the window. And sure enough, Sasuke was sitting there with his trademark _I'm-an-avenger-and-happiness-is-not-in-my-dictionary_ position. His face was holding an irritated look, as fangirls crowded around to greet him. The war started.

"Heyyy Sasuke-kun!" A fangirl named Ami Watanabe crooned. Sakura winced. Ami was one of her bullies back at the academy. Sakura smirked. She was **not** starting this the same way as last time. No more fangirling.

"Can I sit next to you?" Ino asked sweetly.

"Sasuke-kun, ignore that bitch and listen to me!" Ami pushed Ino.

"Why you-"

"Really, if you want him to like you, _this_ won't help." Sakura said in a cold voice. The two lovesick girls whipped their heads around.

"You ugly Billboard Brow!" Ino shrieked. "What makes you think that Sasuke-kun doesn't like me?"

"Look at his face, Ino. It looks like he's eating a lemon." Sakura replied with a smirk. Sakura turned around on her heel and started to walk away. Ino's face flushed with anger. Ami's did the same.

"How dare you!" Ami pulled out a kunai and whipped it directly at Sakura. In one lazy movement, Sakura caught the kunai's blade with her index and middle finger. Now everyone in the room was watching. They watched in silence as Sakura slowly turned around.

"You should really practice your training." Sakura said coolly. "Your aim is pathetic."

And at that, she crushed the kunai handle with her fist.

Everyone gasped. Except for Sasuke. But he was really shocked inside.

Ami and Ino's mouths were wide open like fishes. Sakura smirked and dropped the broken fragments on the ground.

"I don't even know why you bothered to train as a ninja," Sakura continued. "Why don't you just drop out of the academy? Your love life will affect others in the battlefield!" Sakura shouted. All eyes were on her, even Sasuke's.

"You will never be a ninja if you will be this way." And at that, she walked away. She could feel everyone's eyes boring into her. But she didn't care. Sakura spotted Naruto a few rows away, watching her. She strode calmly over to her teammate.

"Hi Naruto!" Sakura greeted Naruto with a smile. She hugged him. Naruto looked confused.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked dreamily. "Is that really you?"

"Of course it is!" Sakura said impatiently. _Oh I almost forgot. Naruto and I aren't friends yet. Oh well. Might as well change that too._

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto smiled cheekily and turned red. Sakura looked down. His hands were groping her-

"NARUTO UZUMAKI, YOU PERVERT!" Sakura punched her "beloved" friend in the face. Naruto flew metres away. His body made a huge crater on the wall as he crashed into it. Sakura huffed and rubbed her knuckles.

"He's the same as ever." Sakura sighed. She glanced around the room. Everyone's face had the same awed and dumbstruck expression. Sakura gulped.

_I guess I overdid it. _

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Normal POV

"Let's see, why don't we introduce ourselves. Like tell us your name, hobbies, dreams, ambitions, dislikes, and et cetera." Kakashi said. "You can go first." He pointed at the loud blond.

"Why don't you introduce yourself first, Sensei?" Naruto pointed out.

"Alright then. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my ambitions or dreams. I have a few hobbies-"

"Yeah, like reading porn books," Sakura smirked. Kakashi raised his eyebrows under his mask.

"How did you-"

"It's a secret." Sakura stuck her tongue out.

"And since you know so much about me, I think you should go first." Kakashi replied.

"Okay." Sakura said cheerfully. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like training and hanging out with friends in spare time. I dislike people who think they are better than you, bitchy fangirls, egotistical bastards, avengers-" She looked pointedly at Sasuke. "-and traitors. My ambition is to become a successful medic-nin."

"That was...interesting." Kakashi said. "Now you go next." He pointed to Naruto.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto grinned. "I like cup ramen and Ichiraku ramen. I hate Sasuke-teme and the three minutes you have to wait until the cup ramen is ready. My hobbies are eating and comparing different cup ramens!" Then, he said the last part in a determined voice. "And my dream is to become Hokage, and that everyone in Konoha will acknowledge me!"

"How...enlightening." Kakashi scratched his head. "Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said in a serious monotone voice. "There are many things I hate and not many things I like." Sakura smirked. _Yeah, and one of the things I like are snake pedophiles._

"-Training covers my hobbies-"

_And, not to mention, betraying villages is a specialty of mine. _Sakura thought sarcastically.

"And my ambitions are to..." His face clouded over. "...to revive my clan...and to kill...a certain man."

"Just to let you know," Sakura cut though the emo Sasuke rant. "You'd better snatch a woman before all the good ones are gone." She paused when Sasuke shot her a strange look. "You need a female to revive your clan."

"Teme!" Naruto yelled, shocked. "Your dream is to DO IT with a girl?! Man, you really are perverted!!"

"Sasuke," Kakashi smirked under his mask. "And I was really starting to think that you were gay. So you _do_ have hormones like a normal person. I'll let you borrow my Icha Icha Tactics for some inspiration..."

Sasuke glared at all three of them. He reserved the ultra death glare for Sakura.

"What? I was just giving you some tips." Sakura said innocently. "And you'd better follow them if you want little Uchihas running around."

Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up at those words. He pictured five kids inside the Uchiha compound. One boy had jet black hair and onyx eyes like his...the girl had..._pink hair and green eyes. _He shook his head to clear the thoughts. Sasuke repeatedly reprimanded himself to think such thoughts.

"So anyways," Kakashi managed to change the subject. "We have a mission starting tomorrow. But it's not an ordinary mission." He paused for dramatic effect. "It's survival training. Only nine graduates will pass this test, and the others will be sent back to the academy."

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted. Sakura wasn't surprised; she knew it was going to happen. Sasuke, on the other hand, was surprised, but he was trying to keep his emo self. "What about the final exam?"

"That's to see who are qualified to become Genin." Kakashi answered. "So meet me in the training grounds with all your equipment at five o'clock in the morning." He turned to walk away. "And...don't eat breakfast or you'll puke." Kakashi said cheerfully. "See you tomorrow!"

"Hey, wait-"

_Poof._

All three was silent. Sakura finally broke the silence.

"Guys?"

The two boys looked at Sakura.

"Forget what Kakashi-sensei said." Sakura said. "Eat breakfast and you can come as late as seven-thirty."

"Why?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Well, even if the teacher says not to, we should follow our own instincts." Sakura explained. "Think! If we need to train, we need strength. And without food, we can't be as strong."

"Wow, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned cheekily. "You really thought of everything!"

"What about coming at five o' clock?"

Sakura snorted. "Oh please! Kakashi will probably come three hours late! And besides, we can't be falling asleep while training."

"You're right," Sasuke said slowly after rethinking the plan.

"Good." Sakura smiled. "Anyway, I have to train." She stood up to leave. "Ja ne."

And she walked away.

"Teme?"

"Hn."

"Isn't Sakura really different today?" Naruto inquired.

"Whatever, dobe." _Yeah. She is. She's not the Sakura I know. _Sasuke noted silently. _In fact, after her behavior today...she definitely isn't Sakura. I better follow her to see who she really is._

Sasuke got up.

"Later, dobe."

And he sped away.

Naruto looked around.

"Why am I always the last one?"

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**Part 3: The Stalking**

Sakura's POV

"Number one weapon for training..." Sakura mumbled. "The newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise." She picked up the porn book on the shelf. _This will really help me tomorrow. _Her inner cackled evilly. _Imagine all the things I can do to Kakashi-sensei with this one book._

After she paid for the book, she left the bookstore to buy more weapons. Sakura was about to go into the weapons shop, but she bumped into a certain someone.

"Oh!" She and the person fell on the floor. Sakura sprang up first to help the person up.

"Are you alright, Tenten-chan?" Sakura asked, concerned. In the future, she and Tenten became good friends.

Tenten looked at her strangely with her hazel eyes.

"Do I know you?" She cocked her head at Sakura.

"Um..." Sakura had forgotten Tenten hadn't met her yet. "Now you do!" Sakura said hastily.

"Um, okayyy." Tenten was confused. "What's your name again?"

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura said enthusiastically. "Can you tell me what weapons are good? I'm kinda new to weapons, so I need a guide."

Tenten smiled. She was liking this girl already. How many girls in the academy were interested in weapons, other than her?" Not many.

"Sure, I'll help!" Tenten replied. Sakura and Tenten walked inside the store. There were no girls except for them. The boys in the store whispered to each other, looked up and down at the two girls, and then snickered. The two girls ignored the whispering and proceeded on. Tenten stopped in front of an aisle full of katanas, kunais, and other weapons. A window was near the aisle.

"This is the newest and best ones," Tenten picked out a kunai and showed it to Sakura. "It's sharper and cuts though the air faster."

"Sweet," Sakura said, fingering the long blade. "I better use it tomorrow."

After choosing more weapons, Tenten and Sakura were chatting like long-lost friends, talking about their ninja life, their social life, and their...boy life.

"He only considers me as a teammate," Tenten said sadly, referring to her crush, Neji Hyuuga.

"I'm sure he thinks you as more than a friend." Sakura tried to cheer Tenten up. "I have the same case about my crush too. His name is..." Sakura stopped. Could she tell Tenten?

"Go on," Tenten urged her. "You can trust me."

"Oh alright," Sakura blushed and whispered Sasuke's name in Tenten's ear.

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Sasuke's POV

Sasuke leaped off the roofs of the shops, keeping an eye out for a certain pink-haired kunoichi. He finally spotted her near the weapon's shop, apparently bumped into someone. Sasuke smirked. _Clumsy girl._

Sakura and the brown-haired girl walked together inside the shop. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and jumped lightly down on the dusty ground. He peeked inside the shop's window. He saw Sakura and the girl walking closer to the window he was spying through. The girl just said something to Sakura, which Sakura responded to. Sasuke leaned closer to the window to hear their conversation. He could only hear scraps of it.

"...He only considers me as a teammate," the brunette said rather mournfully.

"I'm sure he thinks you as more than a friend," Sakura responded. "I have the same case about my crush too. His name is..."

Sasuke frowned at her words. He felt pang of displeasure. Who the hell did she like? And why was he feeling so...jealous?

He clenched his fists. Was he beginning to like his teammate? Sasuke suddenly wanted to beat the lucky bastard that she liked.

_Why the hell am I jealous? She's only a comrade. Nothing more. _Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. _Okay, I admit, her skills are impressive, she's not a fangirl anymore, and she is rather..._He could not say it, let alone think it. He thought, for the first time ever, that a person of the opposite sex, other than his mother was...

Beautiful.

Was he really regreting that Sakura wasn't his fangirl anymore?

Sasuke watched the kunoichi to lean down next to her friend's ear to whisper something. The brunette seemed surprised.

Sakura blushed even harder, which made Sasuke's ears redden in fury.

The brunette said something to Sakura, which made Sakura bark out a laugh. The two girls went to the counter to pay for the weapons, then left.

Sasuke crept behind the fence behind the girls.

So far, all he found out was..._she had a crush on someone._

"Arigato Tenten, for being a great guide!" Sakura was saying.

"No problem," Tenten smiled. "We should get together to train sometime."

"Yeah, that would be great!" Sakura replied. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah. See you." Tenten walked away. Sakura turned and began to walk towards her house.

Normal POV

Sasuke followed her. But it was only a few seconds until...

"Sasuke? You can come out now." Sakura said, back still turned.

Shit.

Sasuke out from behind the fence. He looked at Sakura's face with his onyx eyes.

Her hair was billowing in the soft breeze, and her smirk made Sasuke's inner go wild.

"Sasuke, how come I always find you stalking me?" Sakura asked, the smirk still on her face.

"I need to ask you something." Sasuke walked closer to her.

Sakura just stood there calmly. Sasuke inched closer and closer.

She felt herself against the wooden fence, Sasuke pinning her wrists above her head.

Sakura looked at him curiously.

"Sasuke, what are you-"

"Tell me..." Sasuke's breath tickled her nose. "Who are you?"

-----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀----------------------------

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for taking long, but I was busy with other fanfics and with school. I'll update as fast as I can, but it might take as long as two weeks. I'll try and make the chappies longer, though. Satisfied?**

**Anyway, I was really surprised at how many reviews I got for the first chapter!! Thank you so much!!**

**Please Read and Review!!**

**Here's a bonus as a gift of appreciation to all my reviewers:**

-----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀----------------------------

**Part 4: The Old Sakura Is Gone, Sasuke. **

Sakura's POV

"What do you mean? You know I'm Sakura." Sakura said, confused. This made Sasuke's grip on her wrist tighter. Sakura pushed him off of her.

"You're not Sakura," Sasuke growled. "The Sakura I know is a fangirl of mine. And Sakura certainly isn't that strong."

Sakura glared at him, her emerald eyes flashing dangerously.

"So you think I'm weak?" She asked hotly. "So you want me to be your fangirl again? I thought you hated that." She paused, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. "So I changed. And now, you want the old me back?"

Sasuke didn't answer her. This made Sakura angrier.

"Is this what you think of me?" Sakura asked angrily. "A weak fangirl of yours that had no talent?" She picked up a rock on the road. "Well, sorry to tell you this, but..." In one movement, she crushed the rock into dust. "...the old Sakura is gone."

Sakura wiped her hands off of the bits of rock. And after one teary glare, she stormed off, leaving a shocked Sasuke behind.

-----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀----------------------------

**What will happen after that? Find out in the next chappie!!**

**-Chikako**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you, thank you so much for 29 reviews!! I'm so happy!! Cookies and Sasuke plushies to all my reviewers!!**

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**I would like to thank Babykat570 for being my 20****th**** reviewer!!**

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**Affections Across Time**

**Chapter 3: Gomenasai **

**Part 1: Regret**

Sasuke's POV

He silently watched the fuming girl storm away from him. Sakura turned right, and she disappeared from sight. She didn't even turn back, like the normal Sakura would.

Sasuke bent down and ran his fingers on the rock that Sakura crumbled into fine iron-colored dust. He was amazed. Amazed at what a girl could do.

Sasuke felt a pang of regret of what he did. He shouldn't have called her weak and useless. He knew how that must've felt. He heard that most of his life.

"_I knew I shouldn't have taught you that jutsu," Fugaku said bitterly, looking at his youngest son, who panted heavily. Sasuke repeatedly tried and tried to master the Katon jutsu. But he failed._

"_You know, Itachi mastered this when he was five," the Uchiha patriarch continued coldly. "Such a gifted boy. He is a true Uchiha. It's a shame that none of the Uchiha talent has rubbed on you."_

_His words cut Sasuke to the heart. Sasuke tried to keep his tears from falling. He could not let his father see him crying like a weakling._

"_When you master that jutsu, that is the time when you became a true Uchiha. And..." His father paused, "my true son." And without another word, he turned away from his youngest son and swept away._

_Sasuke's cheeks burned. It felt like his father just slapped him. His father's cold words scalded his heart. Why was Itachi always overshadowing him? Why was he always second-best to his older brother?_

_Sasuke's fists clenched. It was always about the perfect, Uchiha prodigy, Itachi. He was merely only a shadow._

_He stood up from the grass. Sasuke gritted his teeth. Never will he fail again._

And yet, he still let someone bear the pain he held long ago.

He sighed. He would have to apologize later.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

Sakura's POV

"Stupid-" Sakura punched the ground, causing it to make a ten foot crater. "-Jerk!" With one heave of her monstrous strength, she tore the tree off by the roots.

_How dare he? How dare he call me weak? _She inwardly fumed. _How could I ever have fallen in love with a stupid bastard like him?_

_**Because he was the hottest guy in Konoha. Duh.**_

_He's nothing but looks, and besides, don't you remember what he did to us?_

_**Um, no.**_

_HE LEFT US ON A FREAKIN BENCH ON A COLD NIGHT AFTER WE CONFESSED OUR LOVE TO HIM!!!_

_**Oh.**_

_And you don't mind that? _

_**Not in particular.**_

_Ughhh! You really are an idiot._

_**Hey, at least he didn't leave us on the floor! And who are you calling idiot?**_

Frustrated, Sakura stormed out of the forest. She didn't even bother cleaning the mess she made.

She managed to sneak past her mother, who was already asleep in her bedroom. Wearily, she trudged towards her bathroom. She stripped out of her dirty clothes, and turned the tap on the sink. After scrubbing her clothes clean, she performed hand seals that dried the wet clothing. She hung the outfit in the closet.

Sakura walked back into the bathroom to take a shower. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her face was pale and gaunt from skipping lunch and dinner.

Sakura turned the tap to her shower, and then let the water rinse her body and hair. She plunged her face in the drizzling water. The swelling went down, and her eyes were no longer puffy. After her shower, she wrapped a towel around her body, and walked out of the bathroom.

A blast of cold air swept through her skin. She shivered as she dug through the drawers to find something to wear. Sakura clambered into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

She climbed into bed, and tossed the covers over her body. But Sakura couldn't go to sleep. She was too busy wondering if this was all real or not. This was either a very long dream, or it was the freaky truth. She pinched herself. Not a dream.

Then, if it was the real thing...

She can start over. From the beginning. She just got another chance to relive her life and to erase everything bad. Sakura smiled.

This is going to be fun.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**Part 2: The Bells**

Normal POV

As they planned, the three Genin ate a big breakfast and they met at the training grounds at seven-twenty. Sure enough, Kakashi-sensei wasn't here yet.

"You were right, Sakura-chan." Naruto said in amazement.

"Told ya," Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully. Sasuke surveyed her out of the corner of his eye. He frowned. Sakura was deliberately ignoring him. And she was acting like yesterday never happened.

_Poof._

Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke in front of them. Naruto coughed like crazy, and Sakura was vigorously thumping his back. Naruto managed to croak out two words after a stream of coughing.

"You're..." His eyes watered. "Late..."

"Sorry about that," Kakashi scratched his head. "A black cat crossed my path, so-"

"Save it, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura cut in, grinning.

"Alright, alright. Did you guys skip breakfast like I told you to?"

The three exchanged secret smirks, but nodded, their eyes not meeting their teacher's sharp one.

"Good..." Kakashi reached inside his kunai pouch, and pulled out two bells attached with a string. He jingled them together.

"This is your mission..." Kakashi said, "...you must try and get these bells from me by noon. The person who fails to do so will be tied up on a post and watch the others eat in front of him or her." He tied the string to his pouch.

"But there's only two bells," Sasuke pointed out.

"Yes, that's because one person will fail the test." Kakashi answered cheerfully. "So, on the count of three, we will start."

"One..." The three Genin bent down, ready to sprint.

"Two..." Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar to prevent him from getting too excited.

"Three!" The three Genin shot out of sight.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

Sakura's POV

"We need a plan," Sakura whispered as they hid behind a bush. "We need to work as a team. Naruto, you be the bait." Naruto whined in response.

"But Sakura-chaaan..."

"Shhhh!" Sakura clamped a hand over his mouth. The blond immediately fell silent.

"I'll distract Kakashi," Sakura continued. "And Sasuke will snatch the bells."

"I'm not following your orders," Sasuke turned away icily. "You guys will only be a burden."

"Teme's actually right, for once, Sakura-chan." Naruto admitted. "Not that _you_ will be a burden!" He hastily added when Sakura shot him a look. "I meant, Teme here..." He jerked a thumb at said person. "...Will stop me from passing."

It took a long time for Sakura to answer.

"...fine." She replied coldly. "But I'm warning you..." She paused. "We need to act as a team." She got up, and started to walk away. "Just tell me when you'll agree with me for once."

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

Sasuke's POV

_Work as a team? Yeah right! Like that'll ever happen. Naruto is a clueless moron, and Sakura is too..._

He couldn't really insult her. She was anything but weak now.

_Will it really work if we work as a team? _He crept behind a tree. Sasuke held his kunai in his hand, ready to strike...

He groaned. Why was Naruto standing above Kakashi in broad daylight? That dobe was really clueless. Sasuke wondered if Naruto had feathers for a brain.

_Stupid moron..._

He watched intently at his teammate.

"Let's fight fair and square!" Naruto shouted.

"Aren't you a little weird compared to the other two?" Kakashi asked, scratching his head.

"The only thing weird is your hairdo!" And Naruto began to run straight at Kakashi-sensei.

"The first thing I'm going to teach you is taijutsu tactics." Naruto looked confused, but his cerulean blue eyes narrowed as Kakashi reached into her kunai pouch, and pulled out...

...An Icha Icha Paradise book.

Kakashi flipped the pages until he found a spot in the book. He started to read.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. A porn book?

"What are you doing?" Naruto yelled, pointing at the orange book.

"It won't make any difference whether I read this or not." Kakashi said, reading.

"Why you-!"

Naruto started to throw one punch after the other. But Kakashi dodged each attack, still flipping though his book. After the third attack, Naruto froze in spot, wondering where Kakashi was...

"A ninja shouldn't let the enemy get behind him multiple times, idiot." Kakashi said behind him. He shut his book, and held it between his two palms. His fingers were made into a tiger seal.

_That seal is for...Fire elements..._

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

Sakura's POV

She shook her head, keeping her laughter inside her.

_Same old Naruto...always too bold..._

Sakura smirked when she saw Kakashi's hand seal.

"A tiger seal, eh?" She muttered under her breath. "I'm not going to scream out like last time." She scanned the area, searching for Sasuke. Sure enough, she spotted his chakra signature behind a tree on the opposite side, watching Kakashi and Naruto intently.

She fixed her gaze towards Kakashi and Naruto.

"Hidden village of Konoha's secret taijutsu master art...!" Kakashi directed his hands towards Naruto's butt. Sakura almost let out a giggle. It was just like last time.

She watched, amused at Naruto's facial expression. His mouth went wide open, then, his face puckered in pain.

"...A thousand years of pain!" Naruto leaped into the air like a fish, holding his butt in pain.

Sakura laughed quietly.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**Part 3: Déjà vu?**

Normal POV

Two hours swept by, and snatching the bells was zero success. Naruto was hanging upside-down by one of Kakashi's traps, and Sasuke was still formulating a plan. Sakura, on the other hand was too busy watching her teammates fail. She smirked. She knew sooner or later, they would come begging to work as a team. Until then, Sakura wouldn't move a muscle.

Unlike last time, Kakashi didn't cast a genjutsu on her. Of course, if he did, she wouldn't fall for it like last time.

Something caught Sakura's attention. It was Sasuke fighting with Kakashi. Kakashi put the book away.

"I told you, I'm different from those two." Sasuke snarled though bared teeth.

"Fine, I'll admit that you're different," Kakashi replied.

"Hn."

Sasuke started to perform a series of handseals. When he was finished with the tiger seal, he raised his fingers to his mouth.

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled.

_What? It can't be...a Genin can't do a jutsu like this...he can't have enough chakra to do this! _Kakashi thought, his eyes widening.

Sasuke had formed his fingers to make a hole. Then, he exhaled deeply. A gust of fire poured out of his mouth and through his fingers. He directed the fire to where Kakashi was standing. But when the fire extinguished, a crater had formed in the ground, but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke wildly looked around, trying to see where Kakashi was.

_Behind me? No...above? _He panicked. _Then where is-?_

"Beneath you!" A voice answered, startling Sasuke's thoughts. Sasuke's eyes widened. A hand grabbed Sasuke's ankle, holding him firmly in place.

"Doton Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!" Sasuke heard the voice beneath him shout. He was immediately pulled into the ground.

Sasuke opened his mouth to scream as dirt and rocks flew around him. He felt his body being sucked underground. In a split second, the broken dirt fragments mended into place, holding Sasuke as prisoner in the ground.

"This is the second tactics know-how, ninjutsu." Kakashi said, bending down to look at Sasuke. Or more specifically, his head.

Sasuke glared up at Kakashi.

"How is it? Can't move, right?" Kakashi smirked. Sasuke looked away, and grunted one of his trademark "hns."

"Looks like your skills are exceptional," Kakashi continued. "But..." He got up from his position. "They say that stakes that point out get driven back into the ground." And Kakashi walked away, reading the orange book.

Sasuke silently cursed to himself. That's when Sakura decided to come out of the shadows.

"So...how's life?" Sakura asked, sitting right in front of him. Her voice was polite, but sarcasm laced her words. Her emerald eyes were bright and mocking.

"Shut up..." Sasuke muttered, trying to stop the blush forming on his cheeks.

She brought her face close to his. Sasuke blinked.

"Should I help you out of there?" She asked, her breath against his pale skin. "Of course, I can't..." She paused. "...I'm too weak, remember?" She let out a soft laugh.

"Sakura..." Sasuke started.

"What?" Sakura trained her emerald orbs on his. Her eyes were solemn. "Are you going to call me weak again?"

"Sakura," Sasuke said impatiently. "_I'm sorry_." He added in a softer voice.

"What did you say?" Sakura cupped her ears.

"I'M SORRY ALRIGHT?" Sasuke shouted. Sakura looked pleased.

"I never knew you had such a loud voice, Sasuke." Sakura said, amused.

"Are you going to get me out of the freakin ground or not?" Sasuke retorted.

"Patience, Sasuke." Sakura replied. She closed her eyes.

After a few seconds, she opened them again.

"Sasuke, I need you to hold your breath and close your eyes," Sakura said calmly.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, suspicious.

"Just do it." Sakura said irritably.

Reluctantly, Sasuke closed his eyes and held his breath. Sakura raised her arm.

In one swing, she punched the ground with a deafening crash. The dirt split open, and made huge jagged cracks around the hole where Sasuke was imprisoned in. Sakura did a more handseals, and then muttered an incantation, too soft for Sasuke to hear.

Sasuke could feel himself rising in the air, free from the ground. A whoosh of air swept past his skin. If he weren't holding his breath, he would've sighed in relief.

Sasuke's lungs felt like they were going to burst. He was laid gently on the dirt. He could feel a presence beside him.

"You can open your eyes and breathe now." Sakura's voice said.

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered open and he exhaled hastily. His surroundings were perfectly in order. He looked around in amazement. Didn't he hear an explosive noise? Shouldn't there be a huge mess?

"I cleaned it up before I told you to open your eyes," Sakura explained.

"Hn." Sasuke looked away.

A silence filled the area.

"Sakura?" Sasuke finally said.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Sakura got up and started to walk away. But before she turned into the dark canopies of the trees, she turned and smiled.

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"I forgive you."

Sasuke could only stare at her retreating form. His mouth was suddenly dry.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**Part 4: Success?**

"Okay, you know the plan, right?" Sakura said in a hushed voice. They were formulating a plan together. Sasuke and Naruto agreed to work together as a team with Sakura.

"Aa." Sasuke confirmed.

"I do!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Good." Sakura whispered. "In your positions." She commanded. All three Genin sprinted away to their assigned positions.

Sakura was the nearest to Naruto, who was going to be the bait.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled. "Over here!" He waved his arms at the gray-haired Jounin.

Kakashi looked puzzled, but he hid it with a smirk.

"Are you going to fight me like last time?" Kakashi snickered.

"..." Naruto didn't say anything. His face was hidden in shadow.

Kakashi narrowed his dark eye, and advanced closer to where Naruto was standing. Suddenly, Kakashi was bound tightly by chakra strings, and "Naruto" turned into mud.

_A substitution, eh?_

Sakura walked over to Kakashi, chakra strings that held Kakashi down attached to her fingers. She smirked, and held up her left hand. In her hand, was the...

"The Icha Icha Paradise #9?" Kakashi's eyes went wide as dinner plates. "But it was all sold out!"

Sakura cleared her throat loudly, and then flipped to the epilogue of the book. She started reading in a cheerful, sing-songish voice.

"The villain, Matsui, kidnaps Midori, and then-"

"Noooooo!" Kakashi covered his ears. "Spoilers!"

Right then, a fast blur snatched the bells off of Kakashi in a second. A few seconds later, Sasuke stood next to Sakura, two bells twirling around on his finger.

Sasuke and Sakura smirked triumphantly. Naruto jumped from his hiding place, to stand beside his teammates. Kakashi looked stunned.

_These are the first people to pass my test, let alone snatch the bells!_

The alarm clock on the stump rang, signaling that it was noon. Kakashi decided to test the three Genin further.

"Only Sakura and Sasuke pass, because they got the bells," Kakashi said smugly. "That means Naruto fails-"

"No." Sakura interrupted.

"Miss Haruno, surely you know fully well what the instructions were. I told you that the person who doesn't-"

"-get a bell by noon will fail." Sakura finished. "But I think otherwise." She paused. "If you will fail Naruto, then Sasuke and I will fail as well."

Kakashi merely stared at her.

"People who break the rules are considered scum, but people who leave their friends are considered worse than scum." Sakura stated. "Surely, you know that, don't you, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi was more surprised than ever. How could she know the First Hokage's saying? Only he and his old teammates knew...

Kakashi towered over them, and caused the clouds above them to turn ominously black and the blue sky to turn gray and gloomy.

"Well, then..." Kakashi said passively, "You..." In one swift movement, he changed the background back to its regular state. "Pass."

Sakura immediately turned to Naruto and held out a hand.

"Pay up, I won the bet." Sakura said. Naruto grumbled and pulled out his froggy wallet and gave Sakura his money. Sakura took it gleefully. Kakashi sweatdropped and Sasuke just smirked.

"They had a bet on this?" Kakashi shook his head.

"Yeah, Sakura said that you would do special effects." Sasuke mumbled.

_The three of them are really something, _Kakashi chuckled.

"Who wants to eat lunch at Ichiraku?" Kakashi asked, grinning. Naruto whirled around when he heard the word "Ichiraku".

"I do! I do!" Naruto jumped. "Let's go!!"

Sakura smiled. Naruto and Kakashi already began to walk to Ichiraku. Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Are you coming?"

"I guess." Sasuke shrugged.

"Great." Sakura pulled Sasuke's hand and dragged him along with her to catch up with Kakashi and Naruto. Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't seem to mind the nagging.

Sasuke hid a smile as he glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi beside him.

Annoying.

----------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀-----------------------------

**Yay for Sasusaku fluff! I tried to make this chappie like the original episode. If I made any mistakes in dialogue, please forgive me!! I hope you liked it! **

**-Chikako**

**P.S Please Read and Review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you, thank you so much for reading my story and reviewing! I'm surprised that even though I wrote only three chapters, I have 64 reviews! **

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* * *

**Affections Across Time**

**Chapter 4: In the Mist**

**

* * *

Part 1: This Mission Sucks!**

Sakura's POV

* * *

"This is Sasuke, arrived at Point B." His calm voice said through the earphone.

"This is Sakura, arrived at Point C." She announced.

A silence followed after her message. Apparently, Naruto didn't arrive at his point yet.

After a few minutes...

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage, at Point A." Naruto finally said.

"You're slow, dobe."

"Shut up-"

"The target has moved, Team Seven." Kakashi cut in. Sakura peeked from her hiding spot to see. Sure enough, a black shadow swept quickly into the bushes. The shadow's yellow eyes were slanted and gleaming, like a cat's.

"After it!"

The three Genin moved away from their hiding places.

"Okay, he's there!" Naruto was the first to leap out of his point and moved to another tree. His teammates followed.

"What's the distance of the target?" Kakashi inquired.

"Five metres," Naruto replied. "I'm ready to go."

"So am I."

"Me too."

"Okay...GO!" Kakashi commanded.

The three Genin leaped towards the cat. Naruto grabbed the cat's furry body with two hands.

"Gotcha!" He shouted in triumph.

The cat howled and started to scratch Naruto mercilessly. Now his face had more than his six scratches he was born with. Sakura shook her head and laughed. Sasuke held back a smile when Naruto howled along with the cat.

"Does it have a ribbon on its right ear? Is it the target, Tora?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke had a quick glance at the lunatic cat, who was wrestling Naruto's arms. "It's the target for sure." Sasuke replied calmly.

"Okay...Operation Capture Tora the Lost Pet completed."

It was quiet...except for Naruto's yells of pain.

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

**Part 2: A New Mission to the Waves**

Normal POV

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

"Oh, my cute Tora-chan!" The fat lady squealed, rubbing her heavily powdered cheek against the cat's furry one. Lady Shijimi crushed her pet against her giant bosom. "I was so worried about you!" Tora looked like he was being strangled. 

"The cat's getting what he deserves," Naruto muttered. He was still rubbing his painful scratches, courtesy of Tora.

_No wonder he ran away, _Sasuke thought, watching the scene with hidden amusement.

"The next mission for Kakashi's Team Seven is..." Sandaime Hokage pulled out one paper from his file. "...Babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping at the neighboring town, digging up potatoes, or-"

"NO!" Naruto cut in, yelling. "No thanks to any of those! I want to do a REAL mission! Isn't there anything else?"

"The dobe is right, for once." Sasuke agreed. Naruto chose to ignore that comment.

"Hokage-sama, isn't there something else more exciting?" Sakura inquired. _He'll give in anyways and give us a mission to protect Tazuna, like last time. _

Kakashi sighed. _I knew they were going to do this sooner or later._

"You idiots!" Iruka-sensei shouted. "You're still novice ninja! Everyone needs to start with the easy missions to gain experience!"

"But we're only doing dumb missions!" Naruto argued. Kakashi bonked him in the head.

"Cut it out." Kakashi ordered.

"Naruto, it looks like I have to explain to you what missions are," Sandaime Hokage said, folding his hands together. Naruto got up from the floor.

"Listen, a lot of clients come to this village everyday." Sandaime Hokage began. "They request things from babysitting to..." He paused to look straight at Naruto in the eye. "...Assassination." Naruto repressed a shiver.

"On a request list, the requests are listed in order and ranked with A, B, C, and D according to difficulty." Sandaime explained. "And as you know, in this village, the ninja are ranked according to their abilities from Genin, who are beginner ninja, to Jounin, who are advanced ninja. The missions are given to the appropriate ninja according to their ranking. A's are given to Jounin, B's and C's are given to Chuunin, and D's and a few C's are given to Genin. And every time a mission is completed, the client gives a fee to the ninja who completed it."

"Hokage-sama, you forgot one thing." Sakura said cheerfully.

"What?" The Sandaime raised an eyebrow.

"You forgot to tell them about S rank missions," Sakura replied. Kakashi looked curiously at Sakura. _How did she know about S rank missions? We usually tell them about S ranks in Chuunin level..._

"Ah, yes. Looks like somebody knows a bit outside Genin level," Sandaime said, putting the pipe in his mouth. "S rank missions, like Miss Haruno said, are high rank missions only given to Elite Jounin and ANBU members. They are usually very dangerous--almost all of them are assassinations."

_How does she know all this stuff? _Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes at his pink-haired teammate.

"Hey pops, are you sure there isn't anything exciting and in our level?" Naruto demanded. Sandaime Hokage puffed out a small cloud of smoke from his pipe. He sighed and pulled it out of his mouth.

"If you insist, I'll give permission for you to go on a C rank mission," he said reluctanatly. "You'll be escorting a certain someone."

Naruto looked up, interested. "Who? A feudal lord? A princess?"

"Don't get so hasty now." Sandaime chuckled. "I'll introduce him now." He paused. "Can you come in now, please?" He called.

All three Genin whipped their heads around towards the door.

The door slid open, revealing Tazuna standing in the doorway. He had a look of surprise on his face.

"What? They're all kids!" He said, shocked. Tazuna took a swig of his sake, and gulped down half of the liquid. "Is the little scrawny girl with that pink hair really a ninja?"

Sakura's eyes blazed with fury. Sasuke noticed this.

She moved so fast that she was a pink blur. Sakura reappeared behind Tazuna, and placed a kunai at his throat.

"What makes you think I'm not a ninja?" She demanded angrily. Tazuna froze and his mouth hung open stupidly.

"That's what I thought," Sakura said, removing the kunai from his throat. She walked back calmly towards her teammates. Sandaime Hokage and Iruka stared at her in awe, Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits again, Kakashi looked at her in interest, and Naruto's mouth hung open as stupidly as Tazuna did earlier ago.

"Sakura, please do not kill our client," Kakashi said, scratching his head.

"Okay!" Sakura said cheerfully. The murderous aura from her disappeared from her in an instant.

"Um, anyways," Tazuna said nervously. "I am Tazuna, an expert bridge builder from the Country of the Waves. Once I have returned to my country, I will have all of you protect my life with yours as I complete the bridge."

"The Country of the Waves?" Naruto scratched his head. "Where's that?"

Sandaime sighed. "Didn't you study anything in the academy, Naruto?"

"He can't study for his life," Sasuke muttered darkly.

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

**Part 3: Stronger**

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

By the time they left the gates, Naruto was jumping with excitement. He seemed to be extra hyper today, since he was going outside the village for the first time.

"Hey, will a kid like this be capable of this mission?" Tazuna asked cautiously, glancing at Naruto's antics.

"Don't worry about it, he's always like this." Sakura waved an airy hand to pass it away. "His hyperness actually can be some use on missions."

Sasuke snorted at that comment.

"Let's get going," Kakashi said, looking up at the sky.

The five started walking through the forest. During the way, Naruto was blabbing about how miso ramen was better than beef flavored ramen to nobody in particular, Sasuke was in avenger/emo mode, and Sakura was silent the whole way, thinking about what happened in the past.

_We crossed a bridge..._

_Kakashi was talking about the ninjas in other hidden villages..._

_Naruto had doubted about the Hokage...and oh, yeah, I did too._

_And...the puddle. The puddle where Gatoh's minions came out of..._

She remembered what they did in the past. How Sasuke was the only one capable of defense...how she was watching the action from behind, helpless...

She clenched her hands into fists. She wouldn't be that helpless girl like last time!

Sure enough, when all five passed the puddle, Sakura sensed two chakra signatures behind them...moving closer and closer...

In one swift movement, chains wrapped around Kakashi's body tightly, and in a matter of seconds, the chains cut through Kakashi's body. Only a mound of broken flesh and blood was left.

And just like last time, Naruto and Tazuna's face held a look of horror and shock. Sakura knew that Sasuke was just as shocked as they were, despite the calm expression he wore that seemed to say that this was one of his usual daily routines.

"Sasuke, you take on the guy on the left, and I'll take the one on the right!" Sakura yelled. "Naruto, stay with Tazuna-san!"

Although slightly taken aback, Sasuke nodded, and charged towards the ninja on the left. But Naruto stood there frozen on the spot, still too overwhelmed about what recently took place.

"Naruto!" Sakura's commanding voice cut through his trance. "Hurry!"

Naruto obeyed and ran in front of Tazuna.

Sasuke and Sakura threw two kunai at the ninjas' chains. It landed directly between the gaps of the chains, and pinned it to the ground. The ninja were rendered immobile.

But before Sasuke could beat them up, Sakura had already reached them first. And in three seconds flat, she punched the Mist ninja into unconsciousness.

Naruto looked like he just saw Sasuke in a pink dress. He was that awed.

"Sakura-chan, where did you-how did you-when did you-?"

Sakura merely smiled, and ruffled Naruto's hair, making it slightly messier.

"If you train as hard as me, you might become better than me-or Sasuke," she added. Sasuke shot her a look. She replied back with a coy smile.

"Then I will train as hard as I can to impress you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto promised, doing his signature pose. "It's a promise for a lifetime!"

Sakura laughed.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly envious at how carefree his comrades were. If only Itachi wasn't screwed up and killed his clan...

_Poof._

Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke. Naruto's eyes bulged out.

"Kakashi-sensei, I thought you were dead!" Naruto shouted. He then whipped around to face "Kakashi's remainings" on the floor. They turned into logs.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Why, are you disappointed that I didn't?"

"I am," Sakura joked.

Kakashi turned towards Sasuke and Sakura.

"Great job, by the way, you two." He complimented, examining the unconscious ninja sprawled on the forest floor.

"He-hey, what about me?" Naruto asked indignantly. "Didn't I do a good job?"

"Yes, yes, whatever," Kakashi waved an airy hand.

Naruto "hmphed" and crossed his arms childishly.

"Looks like they're mist ninja, judging from their forehead protectors." Kakashi said, prodding the forehead of one ninja with his foot. "Probably Genin or even possibly Chuunin, from the looks of their skills in fighting."

"Chuunin, my ass," Sasuke scoffed.

"It's not polite to talk about things that we generally don't display in public, Sasuke." Sakura grinned.

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

**Part 4: To Choose Death**

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

"Sorry, I'm sorry, rabbit!" Naruto sobbed, hugging the petrified rabbit fiercely.

"What an idiot," Sasuke sighed, looking wary.

_That's it, _Sakura thought, gripping her kunai. _Zabuza's sword will come flying any second now._

And sure enough, a blur of silver came whizzing out of the nearby tree, coming towards them.

"Everyone, duck!" Sakura shouted, pulling a confused Naruto down with her.

The blade whirled over their heads, and crashed into an elm tree a few metres away. The rabbit squirmed out of Naruto's arms and scampered out of sight.

Zabuza appeared on the handle of the blade.

"Ah, the Sharingan copy-ninja Hatake Kakashi," Zabuza turned to face them. "I'm honoured to meet you."

_Sharingan? _Sasuke's eyes widened. _But that's..._

"Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja from the Mist," Kakashi walked closer to the elm tree where Zabuza was standing on.

"I'm afraid you need to hand over the geezer, Kakashi," Zabuza smirked.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke...form into the triangle formation." Kakashi ordered without turning around.

The Three Genin immediately obeyed, forming a triangle around Tazuna.

"You choose death, eh?" Zabuza disappeared, leaving the area into a thick mist.

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

When Kakashi was fighting three of Zabuza's water clones, the real Zabuza quietly slipped past him, unnoticed by Kakashi because he was preoccupied with the water clones.

Zabuza took this as a chance to kill Tazuna without Kakashi there to help the helpless Genin.

Or that's what he thought.

Zabuza reappeared behind Tazuna, sword in his hand, ready to strike...

Sakura was the first to sense his chakra signature. With a fast speed, she ran in front of Tazuna, kunai in each hand.

Zabuza scoffed at the pink-haired girl in front of him. Surely a little runt like her couldn't take on him, a ninja that was an S-rank criminal!

"My, my, what a pretty little girl," Zabuza said mockingly. "Shouldn't you be at home brushing your pink hair?"

Sakura's face fell into a shadow. She didn't move. Nor speak.

"Move out of the way, pinky," he said gruffly.

Sakura finally raised her head. Her face was contorted with fury.

"Don't. You. Dare. Call. Me. Pinky." Sakura said through clenched teeth.

_Bam._

She punched him in the face before he caught the movement.

Zabuza flew backwards, and crashed into bushes. Sakura lowered her fist, and smirked in triumph.

Zabuza slowly got up, wiping the trickle of blood that came out of his mouth.

"You little wench-"

He threw his sword directly at Sakura. It sliced through her body.

"Sa-sa-sakur-a-ch-chan..." Naruto stammered, staring in disbelief.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted. His grasp on his kunai went tighter.

But when Sakura's severed body reached the floor, it turned into a puddle of water.

_A water clone?_

Zabuza looked around, trying to get a glimpse of the pink-haired kunoichi that fooled him.

"Where is that-"

Zabuza felt a cold metal blade of a kunai against his throat.

"Looking for me?" Sakura's voice behind him said snidely.

"Don't move a muscle," Sakura said in a low voice. "Or I'll kill you."

But just then, something was slicing through the air rapidly. Something long and sharp...

Sakura gasped with pain as a sharp needle hit her hand. Shaking, she dropped the kunai that was on Zabuza's neck. As she clutched her bleeding hand, she squinted through the mist, trying to see who it was...

She saw a shadow with a slender figure. When the mist cleared a bit, she got a glimpse of a porcelain mask. A cat mask.

It was Haku.

Sakura felt the poison in the needle make her senses and muscles weaken...she slumped to the ground...

It was making her drowsy...her mind repeatedly told her to close her eyes...

_No, I can't close my eyes now! _She panicked inside her head. _I still have more things to do..._

The only thing Sakura heard after she succumbed into unconsciousness was Sasuke's voice calling her name.

_Sasuke..._

---------------------------❀✿きかん✿❀------------------------------

**I hope you enjoyed this chappie! Sorry it wasn't that long. I decided to be evil and left it at a Cliffie!**

**And if I made any mistakes in dialogue or anything like that, please forgive me. I tried to make it as nearly perfect as the original.**

**Read and Review please! **

** -Chikako-chan**


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